The Church of Humanity, Repentant
The Church of Humanity Repentant is a progressive religion formed shortly after the reign of the Blood Eagle. Its members are a diverse group of scientists, spiritualists, activists and committed siblings from all over the Acheron Rho sector, each with their own unique world view. Their common beliefs are acceptance of all, including aliens, and that all conscious life has a soul. They believe that the aggressive way mankind dealt with alien life in the past was wrong, and that we should make good for this through love and acceptance. Especially in recent times, the Church of Humanity Repentant has been rumored to have been involved in extending charitable activities to not just aliens, but synthetics too. Church leaders have publicly condemned the spreading of such rumors. In truth, and absolute secrecy, the CHR has been heavily involved in a project to systematically rescue persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens and resettle them with new identities elsewhere in the empire. Amongst those in the know, this project is known as the Vigil's Railroad. Though dispersed between countless sects across the sector, the homeworld of the Church, and the center of its sector-wide operations, is the planet of Cabina in the Benilli system. It is the seat of the Concord, the Church's governing council. The Church peacefully shares this world with the native Cah-Binn alien species. Doctrine The Three Tenets The Church of Humanity Repentant is made up of a highly diverse composition of individuals and sects, as a result there are many different schools of thought with wildly different doctrines or lack thereof. There are, however, three core tenets that every sect and member subscribes to: # The Soul begets Consciousness, Consciousness begets the Soul. # All conscious life is valuable and should be treated with respect. # We must atone for the mistakes of our past through Repentance, through Word and Deed. These tenets were formulated at the Church's original founding based on the disorganized and disparate ideologies of the pre-Church movements. But, the Church is full of charismatic leaders who have developed their own following and teachings, as well as individuals motivated primarily by the practical and ethical side of the three tenets rather than more intellectual or spiritual concerns. The Sacred Texts One of the first acts of the Church of Humanity Repentant was organizing full standardized translations of the Sacred Texts of the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox into all known local and serf languages of the sector. The original texts were obtained in full through a former High Church Exarch who left the High Church behind for exile on Cabina. The CHR does its best to make these translations publicly available through CHR libraries, however High Church social and economic pressure has made sure that as of yet CHR or CHR-affiliated libraries and retailers are generally the only places where they are available. Furthermore, CHR preachers are known for using the local tongue in their sermons rather than the latin-rooted clerical tongue of the High Church. The Great Rethinkers In addition to these shared Sacred Texts, the CHR maintains its own secondary canon of texts known as the Words of the Great Rethinkers. This is a loose canon of texts and holovids, some of which overlap with the Sacred Texts, that at least some in the CHR consider reflective of the three tenets and CHR teaching. Some Great Rethinkers are proven historical figures, some are undeniably mythical, or if they did exist they certainly did not live the lives described. Most fall in a grey area in between these two, with their historicity hotly debated amongst those so inclined. The CHR has no official prescription on who is or is not considered a Great Rethinker, only guidelines that sects and members are free to disregard. No rethinker is accepted by all, and no initiate supports every rethinker's work. With each new convert, a new perspective is brought into the practices of the Church. The Beatitude Catechisms A set of teachings that is among the most widely read and adopted by sects and members of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. It is officially attributed to the Crusader of Contrition, aka the Last Exarch, the first and most mythical of the Great Rethinkers of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. Organisation Compared to its sister church, the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox, the Church of Humanity Repentant has a highly decentralized structure. Daily government is by and large left to the purview of individual sects and orders, with the Church-wide government serving more as an arbitrator, facilitator, and coordinator than a top-down government of its subsidiaries. The offices and meeting rooms of the CHR government can all be found in Lux Gravare on Cabina. Membership in the STO After several months of contested meetings and rigorous debate the Council of Exarchs gathered to announce that the Church was joining hands with the Sector Trade Organization. One of the Requirements for CHR membership into the Trade Organisation was the signing of the Treaty of Cabina. A contentious document whose signatures were gathered in secret. The Council of Exarchs The Council of Exarchs is the Church of Humanity Repentant's primary deliberative body. All its members are given the title of "Exarch of the Church of Humanity Repentant" and the council holds a total of 222 such exarchs. Membership of the Council of Exarchs is for awarded for life, and may be gained in two ways: By being voted into membership by the current Council of Exarchs, or by buying the position via offering a sufficiently large donation (either individually or as the representative of a community). Aside from death, one loses membership of the council by voluntary retirement, or via impeachment by the council, where a two thirds majority is required to successfully impeach. Retirements are fairly common, in particular amongst those who represent not themselves but specific sects and communities, however impeachments are as of yet fairly rare. The Council of Exarchs serves various functions, but its most important function for day-to-day governance is its election of the Concord. The Concord The Concord is the primary executive body of the Church of Humanity Repentant. It is made up of 22 High Exarchs, whom are always chosen from the ranks of the Council of Exarchs, and retain their position as Exarch in the council alongside their position as High Exarch in the Concord. There is no leadership position within the Concord, all High Exarchs are equal. Temporary leadership positions, such as the chairing of Concord meetings, are rotated between all High Exarchs. High Exarchs are generally elected for fixed, ten-year terms, but may be removed from office at any time by the Council of Exarchs via a motion of no confidence. Such motions need only a simple majority of Exarchs to pass. The main division between High Exarchs is between those who run one of the Church's ten departments, and those who do not, and which departments the former run. The Ten Departments The ten departments, as overseen by the Concord, jointly make up the Church of Humanity Repentant's executive and judiciary government. Together with the Council of Exarchs as the deliberative branch, this makes up the sum total of the Church government. The ten departments then represent not just parts of the church government, but the entirety of its executive duties and functions. Anything that is not under the purview of one of the ten departments is both de jure and de facto left to the purview of the individual sects and orders that make up the Church. Each department is headed by a High Exarch of the Concord, who runs the department and reports to the Council of Exarchs on the issues for which their department is responsible. * Department of Charity: Responsible for oversight and management of non-profit charitable organisation managed (directly or indirectly) by the CHR. Most prominently, and famously, it oversees the Cabina Cups Tea Company. * Department of Theology: Responsible for whether sects are or are not allowed to be part of the CHR. This department deals both with admission requests and oversight of current member sects. If a current member sect is found in fault, the department can refer sects to the Department of Arbitration for expulsion procedures. The most important qualifications checked for by the Department of Theology is adherence to the three tenets, and government practices up to the CHR's ethical standards. * Department of Arbitration: Responsible for arbitration between CHR sects and members. It also serves as the ‘internal affairs’ of the CHR, rooting out corruption or treachery. It is prominently staffed with current and former members of House Crux who converted fully to the CHR. This department is also responsible for expulsion procedures against sects or members found in gross violation of the three tenets and/or corruption. * Department of Special Circumstances: Responsible for crisis response, as well as most of the more 'covert' activities of the CHR. * Department of Outreach: Responsible for CHR diplomacy and public relations. * Department of Legal Repentance: The CHR legal department, responsible both for defending the CHR and/or its sects and members in court, as well as pursuing legal means to fight for alien/synth/serf rights through the imperial court systems. * Department of Property: Responsible for managing CHR buildings and financial assets that are not property of specific sects of individuals. It also offers assistance to sects and individual members in the management of their property, if needed and request. * Department of Culture: Responsible for community organization and religious festivals. Most prominently, and famously, it is responsible for upkeep of Lux Gravare Stadium, aka the Vardome. * Department of Xenology: Responsible for alien research and outreach, as well as research into synthetics. * Department of Welfare: Responsible for running CHR educational institutions and hospitals. Often, departmental responsibilities overlap. For example, hospitals run directly by the CHR are overseen by the Department of Welfare, but hospitals which are run by non-profit charitable organisations owned by the CHR are overseen by the Department of Charity. Issues resulting of such conflicting jurisdictions and interests are a major part of the day-to-day business of the Council of Exarchs and the Concord. Naming Schemes Beneath the titles of Exarch and High Exarch used by the Church government, there is no formal or preferred hierarchy or naming schemes for titles. Individual sects follow their own preferences. Representing its embrace of diversity, naming schemes in the Church of Humanity Repentant are all over the place. Members hold titles from doctor, to professor, to brothers and priests and innumerate more esoteric or idiosyncratic titles specific to one sect or person. The only universal scheme is that the term "sibling" is used Church-wide as the general term of address between members when not using names or more formal titles. History Pre-Scream Origins The Church claims its earliest origins in the original opposition against alien genocide that arose during and after the original "War for Human Prosperity" from 2206-2215. That such a movement existed is considered plausible by even the most secular of Church scholars, but how much of extant texts and teachings truly reflect this period, rather than later embellishment and mythologisation, is a topic of fierce and continual debate. As is how important or insignificant this original movement truly was. However, many in the Church would consider these debates trivial. Whether or not famous semi-mythical figures such as the Crusader of Contrition ever actually existed is a minor issue compared to the truths that can still be found within their teachings of repentance. The Crusader of Contrition “And after the slaughter was complete, the High Emperor visited each of the Exarchs for their blessing, and the blessing of the new sector he had baptized in blood. Each received him. Each blessed him, calling him savior, paragon, corrector. Each save the last. When the High Emperor came to the Tenth Exarch, he was met with silence. The High Emperor asked not for forgiveness, but for a blessing, a blessing for the crimes he had committed, and the last Exarch would not give it to him. And so the seeds of the True Church were planted.”--''The Records 1:15'' The Crusader of Contrition, aka the Last Exarch, is one of the most enduringly popular of the semi-legendary figures of the supposed pre-Scream movement. In the stories, they were a loyal High Church Exarch to the first Emperox, but after the alien genocide could no longer support the High Church or the Imperial system, and exiled themselves. Gathering a group of like-minded individuals called 'the Faithful' they made a great Vigil of Repentance around the sector, weeping for the blood shed and prostrating themselves towards the surviving aliens. That this timeline does not seem to coincide with the officially recognized sequence of the war and the founding of The Empire and the High Church is considered by some an argument against its veracity, but meaningless to the innumerate others who look to the Crusader of Contrition as a saint and exemplar of human repentance. Post-Scream Survival In the chaotic era following the scream, various movements espousing the ideals of what would become the Church remained active, spread across the sector. These movements were small and largely insignificant, but they preserved and expanded on the texts of Repentance. Founding of the Church In the aftermath of the reign of The Blood Eagle, the sector was ready to embrace repentance. Membership of still extant movements skyrocketed, and numerous new ones were founded, quickly gaining large followings. Recognizing their common cause, and the benefit of cooperation, the leaders of the most prominent of these movements traveled to Cabina and there formulated the three tenets and founded the Church of Humanity Repentant. Over time, almost all other groups, large and small, would come to join under the umbrella of the CHR. Year 3200 - Faction Turn Timeline This is a lore segment detailing the current timeline and lore of the Church of Humanity's actions in the Faction Turn. For details on CHR Faction Turn assets, see the CHR Faction Turn Fluff page. January - Faction Turn 1 The Church of Humanity dispatches lawyers to Pylopid to address breaches of imperial law regarding the aliens there and get a small following on the planet. February - Faction turn 2 The leader of the Helping Hands, the Shrouded Maiden, is dispatched from Cabina to Yakiyah to address inequality and serf issues as well as talk to the ACRE organization to redress issues regarding labour rights March - Faction turn 3 The helping hands win favor with the people, establishing a permanent base of influence on Yakiyah for the Church of Humanity, Repentant April - Faction Turn 4 The Devotees of the Good Work found their political arm, the Devoted Workers Party. As the devotees are a melting pot of ACRE and CHR influence, the formation of the party effectively gives ACRE party machinery on the CHR homeworld of Cabina, and the CHR party machinery on the ACRE homeworld of Demnoph. In addition, the CHR, through the Devotees, expands its influence on Yakiyah by establishing DWP party machinery on that planet. May - Faction turn 5 After much toil and negotiations with ACRE and the STO, money changing hands and going back and fourth, a momentous decision was made. At a summit held on Cabina and presided by a third party, all current members of the Sector Trade Organization sign the Treaty of Cabina in return for a joining of efforts and the CHR's official entry into the STO. Linking hands with bright hopes for a better tomorrow. To aid in that effort a letter was sent by courier to Shan and the people of New Montgomery regarding recent pirate activities. Ongoing Debates Except for agreement on the three tenets, almost any conceivable position is held by some sect or individual within the church. A few examples of particularly prominent debates are: The Nature of the Soul As per the first tenet, the soul begets consciousness and consciousness begets the soul. But is the soul a supernatural, spiritual, phenomenon separate from matter? Or is the soul simply another term for the phenomenon of consciousness when it arises naturally from matter according to natural laws? The Extent of the Anima As per the first and second tenets, all conscious, intelligent life is in possession of fundamentally equal souls. But what about animals? Plants? Rocks? Opinions within the CHR run the gamut from those arguing only intelligent self-aware beings have souls, to those arguing everything, down to the void of space itself, is inherently ensouled. The Demands of Repentance As per the third tenet, repentance cannot be a solely internal process, but must be acted out in deed. But which deeds does repentance demand? Again opinions run the gamut. Some sects advocate primarily basic charity to sentient beings, some advocate ritual self-flagellation, and some advocate active measures to not only repair the results of past sins, but prevent humanity from committing more sins in the present and future. Recorded Debates Members of the Church of Humanity Repentant regularly organize debates between representatives of different sects. Some of these are recorded, and in rare cases even involve non-Church members. Below are links to some recent and notable recorded debates. The 107th Recorded Debate of the year 3199 The 107th Recorded Debate of the year 3199 for the Church of Humanity, Repentant on the Nature of the Soul, Moderated by the House Triangulum and broadcast in cooperation with The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Full Debate in One File The 12th Recorded Debate of the year 3200 The 12th Recorded Debate of the year 3200 for the Church of Humanity, Repentant on the Past, Present and the Future, Moderated by the House Triangulum and presented by The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 The 1st Recorded Ecclesiastical Debate of the year 3200 The 1st Recorded Ecclesiastical Debate of the year 3200 between the Church of Humanity, Repentant and the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperor on the Ideal Empire of 33rd century, Moderated by the House Triangulum and presented by The PRISM Network. * Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 Ceremonies and Practices There are as many variations of practices and rituals as there are members of the church, and the amount of rituals itself also varies heavily between sects and individual members. A few examples of practices that have become common among multiple orders are: Charity and Outreach One of the few near-universal practices among CHR sects and members is to do works of repentance. While the exact nature of these works vary, they are often particularly concerned with reaching the plight of those 'non-humans' who are (often very intentionally) overlooked by anthropocentric charities such as those run by the High Church. In addition to straight-up charitable works, many sects and members engage in outreach activities aimed at fostering peace and understanding between humans (both of and not of the faith) and aliens. Especially in recent times, there have been rumors that many sects and members have been expanding these activities to include synthetic related charities and outreach. Church leaders have publicly condemned the spreading of such rumors. Unveiling Unveiling is a common practice in the Church of Humanity Repentant by which a (often newly inducted) member admits guilt and complicity, and seeks forgiveness. After a soul is Unveiled, the soul is forgiven but not redeemed. Redemption and true Repentance combines both Word and Deed. The closing line spoken to the member at the end of their Unveiling is: "These are your Words, your Deeds must manifest." The Vigil Within the Church of Humanity Repentant, the term 'the Vigil' is widely used to refer to a concept of pilgrimage focused on traveling to sites with historic significance to the Church and human-alien relations, often involving doing works of repentance along the way. For example, a Church member might announce that they will "undertake the Cabina Vigil" when planning a pilgrimage to the Church's homeworld. The term's popularity is largely due to its use in some of the earliest church texts to describe the journeys of repentance made by the Crusader of Contrition. The exact length, destinations, and natures of these pilgrimages vary wildly among different sects, but certain routes and rituals have become popular among multiple sects and have been given their own names. Particularly famous and popular are the Sun Vigils, which follow a standardized format that distinguishes between the Morning, Evening, and Twilight Vigils. In recent times, some sects have been adding locations seemingly more related to human-synth history than human-alien history to their Vigils' destinations. In addition, rumors have spread that more than just pilgrims have been traveling along these routes, and an almost suspicious number of renegade synths have been caught in the company of so-called 'vigilant pilgrims'. Church leaders have publicly condemned the spreading of such rumors. In truth, and absolute secrecy, the Vigil pilgrimages form the backbone of the Vigil's Railroad. The Vigil's Railroad The Vigil’s Railroad is a colloquial term for the systematic movement of persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens for the purpose of resettling them with new identities elsewhere in the empire. It involves organized CHR Pilgrimages, black-market smugglers, and affiliated merchant vessels, all dedicated to moving persecuted Synths to places of refuge. Though the system is not exclusively run by CHR members, the Church of Humanity Repentant makes up the bulk of its members and support. CHR sects and members were involved in the smuggling of persecuted people since long before the War Against the Artificials, but the mass persecution of synths resulting from the war led to an expansion of the Vigil's Railroad activities by orders of magnitude. All this is done in absolute secret. Even those who are directly involved in running the Vigil's Railroad know only what they need to know. Though the CHR gives tacit support to the endeavor, even the High Exarchs of the Concord are only dimly aware as to what exactly is going on, except that something is going on and they approve privately as vigorously as they deny everything publicly. Church Slogans and Posters Below are just some examples of slogans and sayings commonly found on Church signs and posters: "Rethink and Repent" "All Hands are Hands of the Divine" "Hands are Hands, Souls are Souls" "Animae servimus" "A tree with many branches bears a lot more fruit than a pile of twigs" "We are all at our best when we are all together." An album of various posters that have been found publicly posted in areas with CHR activity can be found here. Institutions and Facilities The Church of Humanity Repentant is a diverse and varied organisation. Though most sects and individuals are part of larger enterprises or institutions where they cooperate and coordinate with others, no more than a handful of such activities are large or famous enough to qualify as church-wide. Welcome and Outreach Centers In addition to places of worship dedicated to and managed by specific cults or religious orders, the Church of Humanity Repentant also maintains more general welcome and outreach centers across the sector. These are staffed by members from a variety of local sects or orders, and funded by the Church as a whole via the Concord. Cabina Cups Tea Cabina Cups is a brand of tea that's ubiquitous on Cabina and widely associated with the CHR sector-wide (positively or negatively, dependent on who you ask). Cabina Cups tea is artisanally grown across Cabina wherever biosphere restoration projects have advanced sufficiently for tea gardens to prosper. Almost every city, village, and temple grows its own local variety of Cabina Cups. The Cabina Cups company is a non-profit organisation whose board is appointed by the Concord, the governing body of the Church of Humanity Repentant. All profits are invested into Cabina biosphere restoration projects or other charitable projects. The Helping Hands A popular movement on the southern rims most known for providing comfort and assistance to the dying, and saving freemen from succumbing to crippling debt. They follow the shrouded maiden wherever she goes. The SPACE Initiative (Special Power Agency Control Experts) Founded by the enterprizing SPACE preacher Jeremiah Salt, a cult of personality styled confidence guru known for writing exceprts of the translated latin of the High Church of Messiah as Emperox, serving up stories, and spouting anecdotes about improving peoples lives. He is known for employing the use of Phone preaching. Renting space from PRISM in peoples phones to serve up his anecdotes, as well as organized toilet stall preaching, a practice wereby a free toilet stall is placed in a convenient location but the cost is having to listen to adds until you have paid for your time, and bedtime preaching, the practice of not letting someone sleep in a hotel room until they have listened to at least one SPACE sermon to drum up interest in his book series, and the translated works of the holy scriptures of the high church of messiah as emperox. He has a very large following, or at least so he claims. Adherents to the SPACE Initiative call themselves SPACERS The Flying Saucer The Flying Saucer is an elegantly furnished space station shaped like a teacup and saucer in low orbit around Cabina, constructed in the early 32nd century. Originally intended to be an exhibition piece for Cabina Cups’ popular new flavour Synthetic Perfection, the station quickly became so popular that the company decided to renovate and reopen it as a permanent orbital teahouse. The Saucer offers a soothing peaceful environment where visitors may relax, drink tea, and converse to the backdrop of the slowly moving panorama of the planet Cabina. The Mourning Star A space station originally owned by Governor Mourne Kushrenade. Professor Lavi Thorund has recently become the primary person in charge of operations. The Mourning Star primarily harbors non-human refugees and the disenfranchised youth. The station's stated goals are: 1) To provide a safe haven to the marginalized; and 2) To find safe hospitable worlds with steady employment to relocate the refugees. The station has a slow but functional spike drive, allowing it to move from place to place, though it only does so rarely. It is currently located in an undisclosed location somewhere in the core systems. To those few who are in the know, the Mourning Star is known as a key locus in the network of the Vigil's Railroad. Cabina Cups Charity Cat Cafés “10% of income goes to charity schools for the education of the disenfranchised! Drink and Repent!” The Cabina Cups Charity Cat Cafés, C5 for short, are a chain of cafés all-over the Empire that mostly sell Cabina Cups products to help fund CHR Charity Schools. These cafés also provide other services, such as professional companionship, and have people with cat-maid costumes working in them, who serve customers with reverence. They also function as regular cat cafés, with cats frolicking around freely begging customer's attention. Sects and Religious Orders Though there are more sects within the Church of Humanity than can be counted, there are several noteworthy ones that are currently particularly active and influential. Some of these are listed below. Notable Sects and Religious Orders (Canon) The below sects and religious orders of the Church of Humanity Repentant have been mentioned by name or otherwise explicitly appeared in the show. As of yet, this list is empty. Notable Sects and Religious Orders (Expanded Universe) The below sects and religious orders are notable sects and orders created by Patreon subscribers, but which as of yet have not made official appearances on the show. Sector-wide sects are sects that, though they may be most dominant on some worlds, are fairly evenly spread out across the sector and whose members might reasonably be found any place where there is a CHR presence. Local sects are sects that, though they may have minor presences across the sector, are most dominant on certain worlds and whose members are most likely to be on said world. Notable Characters (Canon) The below characters have appeared as named characters in the show, and are members of or closely affiliated with the Church of Humanity Repentant. As of yet, this list is empty. Notable Characters (Expanded Universe) The below characters are notable characters played and/or created by Patreon subscribers, but which as of yet have not made official appearances on the show. * Governor Mourne Kushrenade * Professor Lavi Thorund (Currently in charge of the Mourning Star space station) * Pilgrim Pyxis Kurul Atreus * Sister Pyxis Viola * Perfect Gautier of the Quill * Counsellor Victorine Wright * Sibling Crux Konrad Welf * Brother Morphos * Aegis Serpens Ralek Fezzim * Presbyter Abimelech Wray * Thoughtbearer Crux Edward Campbell * Practicus Aquila Baldric Peregrin * Dr. Vela Davarre Arash * Dr. Δ Aabye Søren * Dr. Mei Bai of the Seven Shen * Dr. Lyra Quinn Vardom, Philosophy * Father Hierodoctor Daam * Dr. Pietro MacNamara, Exogeology * Shinkan 夾白 Kensuke The Animast * Adherent Eli Crane * The Shrouded Maiden * Korée Zunbil * Warder Gergely Veit * Reverend Doctor Octavia Lemed Mariam External and Social Media Links * The Church of Humanity Repentant Faction Wiki * CHR Twitter * CHR Tumblr * CHR Spotify Playlist * CHR Imgur Album Category:Factions Category:The Church of Humanity, Repentant Category:Churches